JR's Blog

JR in Geekland

2010-09-24T10:47:00.002-06:00

So last time I wrote about having a great new job and the excitement that it brought. After a month here at Crexendo selling SEO and Web Marketing service I have found out that despite some of my better efforts to avoid being a geek, that is at the core exactly what I am. I get to talk each day to people in such a way as to simplify the internet. Now I am not talking about how to navigate through your favorite internet browser (mine is currently Firefox but Google Chrome is fast closing the gap) No I am talking about the GEEKY part of the internet. The parts that read 100110100110011100111000110001111100101010101 to the untrained eye. Now I am not geeky enough to exactly what that very large Binary number is, but there are a bevy of tools at my disposal to figure it out. (incendentally the above binary representation can be more recognizably written as 10,118,968) So I get to speak with the vast majority of folks who simply want their websites to both work and bring them money. Think of me as your internet Urim and Thummim. I know enough geek to communicate with the programmers and hard core geeks, but I also speak regular human and can therefor talk to any mom and pop who needs to sell something on the internet.

Bottom line is I have the coolest job on earth. I get to go to BYU Football and Jazz Basketball games AND GET PAID FOR IT. Yeah so for all of you that don't have as cool a job as I have I send my condolences. For any of you who need that crazy internet translated into non-geek please give me a call and we can talk. I'd love to help you make more money and make your life easier all at once.

New Job

2010-08-25T10:00:00.003-06:00

It seems that since the beginning of 2010 I have been an employment Carousel. I lived off the government in the rank of the unemployed for a few weeks. I took a job selling Utility Bill Audit services for a company for a couple months. On my birthday (June 1st for those of you who forgot) I started working with a start-up software company that has a really neat Digital Catalog software. I was one of the first sales guys with them and really enjoyed both the products and the people that I worked with. As a sales guy I am always keeping an eye to the future and other opportunities. When Crexendo posted a listing on Linkedin I said "hey I might be interested in that". Turns out I was interested and even better they were interested in me. So now I work for a publicly held company that I think I will really like. Already I have some sales that are starting to come in and in all reality I've just barely started. I see great things ahead for the Future of my family and my career. If you or anyone you know needs help with Optimization of a website or General web marketing give me a holler or check out our Website at www.Crexendo.com

The End of the Best show on TV

2010-05-24T10:51:00.002-06:00

Today are the final Hours of the final season of 24. More than 5 years ago A friend of mine introduced me to Jack Bauer and his penchant for getting himself into trouble, and the world out of it. Each year beginning in January Monday nights were set aside for 24. Now after saving the world a few times, losing his wife, being beaten by Russians, Americas, Mexican, Arabs, Africans, and the Chinese he is calling it quits. Will he live? maybe. If he does will he be in a whole heap of trouble? Definitely. The Bottom line is that Jack Bauer is the great American Bad-Ass. He does what needs to be done for his country. Like it or not out country needs Men like Jack. Sure he may be a fictional character, but there are men in this country just like him. They are Green Beret's, Navy Seals, Air Force PJ's, and Marines. They help project the general public from things so gruesome that we cannot imagine. I am thankful for my brothers in Arms and their service to our country. This wasn't going to be a "God Bless our Troops" post but it has morphed into that. The bottom line is this. If you have not seen 24 you should. Watch all 8 Seasons and you can thank me later.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart

2010-05-04T08:35:00.000-06:00

Today is the Birthday of my sweet wife Heather. She is 29* and will forever be. She is the love of my life. My Rock in the storm of life. The mother of my children, And the most beautiful woman on the face of the Earth. I still to this day do not know how I fooled her into marrying me, but boy am I glad I did. In such a short time we have shared much and over the rest of eternity we plan to experience much much more. I love so many things about you that it is hard to know where to start. You truly are my best friend. You put up with some of my more entertaining intricacies. You laugh with me, let me vent when I need to, and let me help you when you need it. you are the light of my life. I can't think of anyone who I would rather spend eternity with. I love you Heather and I hope on this, your birthday, that you have an awesome day. I love you sweetheart.

An Open Letter to Jack Z.

2010-05-03T08:14:00.004-06:00

Dear Jack,

We trust you we really do. We think your overall methodology of roster construction is sound. Pitching and Defense is a great way to build a ball club that plays half of its games at Safeco. But Jack we do have a gripe. To lose two games where the starting pitchers give up zero runs over 15 innings is simply unacceptable. Run prevention is not Run production. While a run saved is great it does no equate to a non zero number on our side of the scoreboard. Simply put we need a bat. The Huggable couple of Griffey and Sweeney are not cutting it. DH stands for "Designated HITTER". These two, while once great hitters in their own right, no longer qualify as such. We grew up with Griffey. Loved watching "The Kid" make amazing plays in center field and launch moonshots all over the place. But "The Kid" is no more. It is time for each of these ambassadors of the game to move on. WE NEED A BAT. And we need it yesterday. Burn up the phones, but find us someone who can actually hit a ball out of the park. Someone who will HIT in that DH role. Otherwise the gems turned in by our starting pitching will mostly go for naught. The rest of this season really does ride on who you can get in that DH slot.

Sincerely,

The Fans.

Car Salesmen are Crooks

2010-04-27T11:17:00.008-06:00

I am a sales guy. I have been a salesman since I was a teenager. The one category that I have never sold is Cars, and there is good reason for that. Car salesmen are scum. Now there are exceptions to every rule. I have a few friends and even a family member or two who have sold cars in the past. Used car salesmen are generally regarded as the pond scum of the sales world. But just to prove that ALL car salesmen (or companies in this case) General Motors has laid down a Duzzy. Maybe you have seen this commercial.

Now normally I would say, "paying off debt. THAT'S GREAT!!!" In fact I did think that when I heard it on a radio ad in the car. Then I read this article. Basically GM is robbing Peter to pay Paul. Paying off their Visa card with the MasterCard. What they have done is taken TARP (the bailout) monies to pay off a $6.7 Billion dollar government loan. Part of the comedy here is that the part of the commercial where they say "Paid IN FULL with INTEREST, 5 years ahead of schedule." This is sort of like me saying "I'm debt free" after paying off a $250 credit card while still carrying a student loan of $25,000. In fact it is a very similar situation as GM received a total of $52 Billion in bailout money.

Now I don't want to get into a political rant here. I just find it interesting that the government entrusted car salesmen with Billions of tax dollars (that they don't have) and expecting to EVER get it back. That's like trusting politicians with Billions of... oh, wait. Crap.

Well hopefully GM gets called on the carpet for the stunt, though with our ever so vigilant congress (this is my sarcastic voice) I doubt it.

Believe Big

2010-04-16T09:13:00.004-06:00

Almost two weeks ago one of my favorite events of the year took place. Baseball's opening day for the 2010 season. As most people know (and if you didn't look slightly to the left) I am a big Seattle Mariners fan. I spend a lot of my day perusing the Seattle Times website looking for and absorbing anything from there that I can. Keep in mind I live in Salt Lake City. I spend time in the off season glued to the rumor wires for news of trades and free agent acquisitions (like Cliff Lee this past winter). During the season my geographical location makes my fanaticism a little more tough to deal with. My sweet wife Heather, bless her heart, bears the brunt of this burden. She simply doesn't understand why "a game" can be so important to me. She of course has to also deal with BYU football, of which I am also a huge fan (albeit ever so slightly less than my fanaticism of the M's)

It was recently brought to my attention that I spend WAY TOO MUCH time staring at my iPod Touch. I use this miracle of modern technology to keep up with the outside sporting world. whether its via Twitter (@jr_mckee), Facebook, or the ESPN app. I must admit I do look at it too often. Part of my problem is the awesomeness of Mariners Baseball. I like to know what is happening throughout the evening. Being in SLC I cannot get the game on the radio, and Paying $200 for the full season of TV broadcasts, while totally awesome when I was single, is simply no longer a wise capital expenditure (yeah I know I sound like an economist... deal with it, I have. :) ) So on account of my geographical disability I have resorted to staring at my iPod and in the process really ticked off my favorite person in the world. I am sorry sweetheart. I will do better at weaning myself from my toys.

All that being said, I don't see my Fan-dom dropping in intensity. I just need to be better about how I go about it. The Mariner motto as you can see above is "Believe Big", and that is just what I am doing. I believe that my team is going to be great this year, and I want to be a part of it. but I also know that there are things more important than the Mariner's record and seeing King Felix and his nasty nasty stuff. I love my wife and my family. I hope that they can Believe Big (in me)too.

Its been a long long Time

2010-04-15T11:16:00.004-06:00

So looking at my blog today I realized that I have not written since Thanksgiving. Yeah that is WAY TOO LONG. So much has happened since the BYU/Utah game (which we won by the way) so I will have to catch y'all up.

In December we welcomed a new baby to our family. Maxwell George McKee was born December 8th, 2009 at 7lbs 10oz and 21.5 inches long. Max has been dearly loved by all his siblings, and has been a great addition to our family. He is a sweet little boy and apparently looks a whole lot like daddy. Poor Kid. Christmas found our family well and we welcomed some new toys into the family. Heather got me a 2001 Ski-Doo Summit 800 snow mobile. though she has questioned the purchase once or twice when her brother/dad/cousins or other freinds call me and want to hit the mountains for the day. I actually got about 8 days in on my sled this year, while only getting one day in on the slopes.

In January I found myself looking for a new job. The mortgage market was getting increasingly more difficult and the income in each loan was dwindling. I found myself without a job for all of February. This proved to give me some additional time at home to do things like clean the garage which now can be used in its full 4 car glory. I even have a work bench in the back where I can put tools and pretend to be manly.

In March I began a new job with Discovery Energy. We are a Utility bill audit firm and I work as a National Account Executive. I am a sales guy who prospects potential new clients for our audit services. It is a small company and I am working hard to overcome the learning curve and make some big sales. All in all I think it could turn out to be a great opportunity.

The Mariners started play early last week and I am again fully in tune with all of their goings ons. After trading for Cliff Lee (former Cy young winner) I like our chances this year.

I will be posting more frequently now that I have the hard "starting over" post done.

Rivalry Week

2009-11-25T11:53:00.002-07:00

It is upon us. The week when BYU puts the Utes out of their misery. I predict that Max Hall gets even for last year's debacle and ends his Career on a high note. In the spirit of fun here are a few Rivalry Jokes that should be good fodder.

One foggy night, a Utah fan and a BYU fan were driving the opposite directions on a road near Salt Lake City. While crossing a narrow bridge, they hit each other head-on, mangling both cars.

The BYU fan manages to climb out of his car and survey the damage. He looks at his twisted car and says, "Man, I'm lucky to be alive!"

Likewise, the Ute fan gets out of his car uninjured, he too feeling fortunate to have survived.

The BYU fan walks over to the Ute fan and says, "Hey, man, I think this is a sign that we should put away our petty differences and live as friends instead of being rivals."

The Ute fan thinks for a moment and says, "You know, you're absolutely right! We should be friends. In fact, I'm going to see if something else survived the wreck."

The Ute fan then pops open his trunk and removes a full, undamaged bottle of Jack Daniel's. He says to the Cougar fan, "I think this is another sign - we should toast to our newfound friendship." The Cougar fan agrees and grabs the bottle, and says "I usually don't drink, why don't you start". After sucking down half of the bottle, the Ute fan hands it back to the BYU fan and says, "Your turn!"

The BYU fan calmly twists the cap back on the bottle, throws the rest of the bottle over the bridge into the river and says, "Nah, I think I'll just wait for the cops to show up."

Q: How do you get a Utah cheerleader into an elevator?
A: Grease her hips and throw in a Twinkie.

Q: How do you keep a Ute out of your backyard?

A: Put up goal posts

The University of Utah was looking to have nativity scene to celebrate the holiday season. Aftger an exhaustive search the nativity was called off. The Reason? Organizers were unable to locate 3 Wisemen and a virgin.

Q: What's the difference between a University of Utah fan and a carp?
A: One is a bottom-feeding, scum sucker, and the other is a fish.

Q: Did you hear about the power outage at the University of Utah library?
A: Forty students were stuck on the escalator for three hours.

Q: Why did U of U replace the stadium grass with Astroturf?
A: To keep the cheerleaders from grazing during games.

A man from USU, Utah, and BYU are all standing in the restroom taking care of business. The man from Utah finishes first. He shakes, zips up and heads to the sink. He uses an obscenely amount of soap to wash his hands and pulls all kinds of paper towels to dry them. He goes on to say, "At the U they teach us to be really clean." Just about that time, the man from Utah State finishes. He shakes, zips up and heads to the sink. He only uses a little bit of soap to wash his hands, and only one paper towel to dry. He says, "At Utah State they teach us to be clean, but economical." At that time the man from BYU finishes his business. He shakes, zips up and just walks out the bathroom. He says, "At BYU, they teach us not to piss on our hands."

You know, there is one huge advantage that Utah alums have. They can park anywhere they want, even in handicap stalls. All they have to do is hang their diploma off the rear view mirror.

The Utah football team was placed in a remedial English class. The professor asked the class, "Does anyone know what comes after a sentence?" All of the players raised their hands. "The appeal," they shouted with pride.

Q: How many U of U freshman does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None, it's a sophomore course.

The U is playing at Wyoming, which has a first down with three minutes left in the half. A U fan sets off a firecracker, and the Cowboys, thinking it's the end of the half, runs off the field. Three plays later, Utah punts.

Q: What is the difference between an intelligent Utah Alum and Bigfoot?
A: Bigfoot has been spotted.

{Two guys are sitting in a diner}
Guy #1: By chance, are you a Cougar?
Guy #2: Yes, how could you tell?
Guy #1: Just by your sense of pride, & the way you carry yourself.
Guy #2: I see, hey, are you a Ute?
Guy #1: Why, yes, how could you tell?
Guy #2: I saw your class ring while you were picking your nose.

Q: What does a Utah grad call a BYU grad?
A: Boss.

Q: What do you get when you breed a Utah Football player and a groundhog?
A: Six more weeks of bad football.

Q: How do you get a University of Utah graduate off your front step?
A: Pay him for the pizza

Q: What is the difference between a University of Utah graduate and a large pizza?
A: A large pizza can feed a family of four.

Q: What is the difference between a U of U co-ed and garbage?
A: The garbage gets taken out at least once a week.

Q: What has an I.Q. of 144?
A: Twelve Utah freshman.

Most of these are totally unfair, but hey its a rivalry!!

#46 Its been a month... & "Shouldn't you have already known that?"S

2009-10-23T12:41:00.003-06:00

Yeah so it has been a long month since my last blog post. I guess I ran out of steam or creative juice or just plain got lazy. We will see how it goes from here on out. But I had a though this morning that "inspired" this blog.

I am feeling particularly good today. I have a better outlook on life and the trials that I am facing. As I sat here at my desk trying to figure out what was different from yesterday or Wednesday when I was feeling exactly the opposite it hit me. last night my sweet wife Heather and I went to the Temple with the members of our Elder's quorum and thier wives last night. I thought "THAT'S IT!" I feel good because I DID some good. I am decidedly more happy and ready to tackle life's issues because, in some small part, I think I put life into better perspective last night. It makes me think "hey you should do that A LOT more often" And I should. In fact today I WANT to. But regardless of what happens in the future, I can now look back and remember "hey remember when you were having a LOUSY week? Yeah GO TO THE TEMPLE YOU BIG IDIOT!"

#45 End of an Era??

2009-09-21T14:10:00.004-06:00

In the next week one of the greatest of all time will most likely end a career for the ages. Ken Griffey Jr has long been one of the best players to ever play the game. A sure fire first ballot Hall of famer. Having Junior back in Seattle this year to end his legacy correctly has been fun to enjoy. He has helped repair a fractured club house and restored some legitimacy to a club searching for an Identity. Thanks Junior. We will miss your smile and the way you played the game.

#44 GREAT NEWS!!!!

2009-09-21T12:09:00.002-06:00

Last week Heather and I got letters from the First Presidency telling us that we are cleared to be sealed. We are being sealed for all eternity on October 1st 2009 in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. We have watched the temple being built and decided when we got married a year ago that this would be where were sealed. And, now, a little after 5PM MDT on the 1st it will be eternal. I, needless to say< am VERY excited and pleased to be with my sweetheart for all Eternity. I love you Heather.

#43 What a weekend!

2009-09-08T11:50:00.004-06:00

I have been giddy most of the weekend. My wife has questioned whether or not College Football will ever end (sorry babe its only week 1) What has me so hyped? Well the Cougs are ranked in the Top 10 now thanks to beating Oklahoma this weekend. Here are the Highlights.

This is what happened in Provo after the win. now please remember that the vasdt majority of these people were STONE COLD SOBER.

#42 New blog for my Political rantings

2009-09-02T10:48:00.003-06:00

So my wife thinks that I talk too much about the politics in our country. so in response to that I am creating a new blog "JR's Political Rant" This will serve both my need to vent about politics and keep this blog for the quirkier side of my mind.

The link is http://jrpoliticalrant.blogspot.com/

#41 Ronald Regan on Socialized medicine.

2009-08-28T13:19:00.004-06:00

This was on Glenn Beck today. I have read out of the Ronald Regan Diaries and I continue to be impressed by this man and his politics.

#40 Stumbling around the Internet

2009-08-27T12:14:00.008-06:00

As I have written before I use Stumble! to stay entertained when all my avenues of healthy internet entertainment are dried up. This blog post is dedicated to the videos that I have found online that are NOT POLITICAL (you're welcome Heather :) ) Enjoy!

Lip Dub - Flagpole Sitta from Connected Ventures (HD)
by allcurious

I love that Song!

So I am a bit of a Star Wars Geek.

A Tribute to a Great Man.

Funny Stuff (pardon the language)

Demetri Martin - Large Pad - Watch more Funny Videos

A bit PG-13 but I found it VERY funny. (yeah Maybe I am going to Hell)

That's it for now. Have fun!

#39 With Appologies to my wife... 4 Myths of Global warming.

2009-08-27T11:31:00.003-06:00

I found this article by C.J. Carnacchio
that I had to repost. I appologize to my wife who doesn't think that she got enough repreive from politics on my blog. But I promise the next one will be non-political.

Myth #1: Global Warming: Despite the rantings of the apocalyptic eco-prophets, the actual temperature records, taken in North America and Western Europe, show no significant or consistent upward trends. There is, instead, a series of highs and lows. According to the Greenhouse theory, the increase in carbon dioxide emissions since the beginning of the Industrial Age should have increased average temperatures by two to four degrees Celsius over the last 100 years. In reality, temperatures have only increased a paltry 0.5 degrees Celsius.

In fact, between the 1940s and the mid-1970s temperatures were steadily declining. This led environmentalists in the 1970s to predict global cooling and the coming of a new ice age. They blamed the same industrial economy and pollutants then for global cooling that they now blame for global warming. New ice age or melting polar ice caps, the environmentalists can't seem to make up their minds. It seems as long as they have a crisis to fuel their agenda and keep those donations rolling in, they'll preach anything.

As for the claim that the carbon dioxide emission levels of industry are responsible for global warming, here are some facts. Both historic and prehistoric levels of carbon dioxide have shifted and changed without human intervention. Historic increases in carbon dioxide have occurred about the same time as temperature increases, but a careful study of the data shows the rise in temperature preceded the increase in carbon dioxide, not the reverse. In the prehistoric era, carbon dioxide levels were at times ten times what they are today, and that was during a period when life was evolving and taking shape.

Carbon dioxide is actually a minor greenhouse gas. Carbon dioxide, methane, hydrocarbons, and aerosol only account for two percent of greenhouse warming. The main greenhouse gas which accounts for the other 98 percent is water vapor. So carbon dioxide's effect is ultimately insignificant, no matter how much industry has created.

Myth #2: The Hole in the Ozone Layer: Contrary to the environmentalists' claims, there is no permanent hole in the ozone layer and no ozone shortage. Ozone is constantly created and destroyed. The interaction of ultraviolet radiation with oxygen molecules is what produces ozone. In the stratosphere, 10 to 40 kilometers above the earth's surface, several tons of ozone are produced every second.

The amount of ozone present at any one time is influenced by many factors. For example, the amount of ultraviolet radiation reaching the stratosphere (and ultimately producing ozone) depends upon latitude, solar cycle, and season. Concentrations of ozone may differ drastically from one day to the next, sometimes by as much as 50 percent, depending on the weather. Ozone holes are natural reactions to these ultraviolet light variations. Ozone levels can also be affected by the amount of volcanic matter in the stratosphere. Each volcanic eruption emits roughly a thousand times the amount of ozone-depleting chemicals than all the CFCs man has ever produced.

The ozone hole that appeared over Antarctica and caused all the panic is a natural and annual phenomena. The annual ozone hole was first measured in 1956-57, long before the ozone-destroying CFCs were in common use. The hole appears at the end of the dark, cold Antarctic winter, lasts about three to five weeks, and then disappears. There is no overall or permanent depletion of the ozone layer.

Myth #3: Deforestation and Clear-cutting: America's forests are not vanishing. There are 730 million acres of forest land in the United States today. The growth on those acres is extremely dense, with a total of 230 billion trees (that's 900 trees for each American). When the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, 45 percent of what is now the 48 contiguous United States was covered by mature forest land. Today, 32 percent is still covered by forest, two-thirds of the total before the pilgrims arrived.

Contrary to environmentalist propaganda, clear-cutting does not leave behind a scarred and barren wasteland. It is usually done in a checkerboard manner leaving behind large areas of forest. The areas where cutting occurs are then replanted. Trees are a valuable commodity, and companies have an incentive not to overcut them. Today, many companies are planting millions of trees on their own land and carefully harvesting them.

Even the U.S. Forest Service admits that, "Drastic as it may seem, clear cutting plays a legitimate and prominent role in scientific forestry. Properly done, it paves the way for a new, unencumbered and hence vigorously growing forest." Clear-cutting was even practiced by the Indians, who burned areas to provide a cleared space for new growth, which was favored by animals they hunted such as elk and deer.

Myth #4 Endangered Species: Environmentalists claim that five species go extinct every day, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that five species, subspecies, and varieties of plants and animals have gone extinct every three and three-quarters years since 1620. The fact is that most animals and plants go extinct from natural causes such as climatic changes, food shortages, disease, and competition with more dominant species. It's called survival of the fittest. Some animals are meant to go extinct and some are meant to survive. This is how species perpetuate themselves.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 represents one of the most irresponsible pieces of legislation ever passed by Congress. The law basically gives the government the authority to stop extinction in all cases, regardless of the cost, by any means necessary. Not every species can or should be protected. Do we really need to save every allegedly endangered insect out there? Many creatures on the endangered species list are not really endangered or even a scientifically defined species at all. Yet, we spend roughly $2.6 million a year for each creature on the list.

The environmentalists use their doomsday predictions as a form of political blackmail. They create these eco-bogeymen, hold them over people, and then preach the coming of the apocalypse unless their demands are met. Environmentalists see themselves as the Earth's new vanguard class, uniquely capable of seeing the impending doom while the rest of humanity remains blind to the danger.

The greatest casualty of the environmental movement has been the property rights of American citizens. The greatest benefactor has been the Leviathan State. What better way to control someone's property than to subordinate one's private property rights to environmental concerns. Under the guise of "defending the environment," the imperial Congress has been able to enact laws which allow government officials to confiscate private property, levy fines for noncompliance of up to $25,000 a day, prevent owners from using their land, and even jail a land owner who uses his land for any purpose other than that which the government has dictated. This is a clear and obscene violation of the Fifth Amendment which states, "No person shall ... be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation."

The ideology of the Greens has roots in both fascism and Marxism. The Nazis were naturalists and have been described as "the first radical environmentalists in charge of a state." As political writer David Horowitz wrote, "The enthronement of biological imperatives, of the virtues of blood and soil and the primitive communities of the Volk, the pagan rejection of the Judaeo-Christian God, and the radical anti-humanism featured in the philosophy of the Greens" are all derivatives of the Nazi ideology.

From Marxism, the environmentalists derived their hatred of the free market, private property, and the upper classes. The environment has become the new weapon of choice to attack capitalism. Dolphins and trees have become the new proletariat. In order to achieve the ecological balance the radical environmentalists advocate, it would be necessary to progressively narrow "the gap to reduce the differences between the Earth's wealthiest and poorest inhabitants" until there are "more or less equal shares for all people." Sound familiar, comrade? How ironic that it was the totalitarian regimes of Eastern europe and the soviet Union that had the most horrendous environmental conditions on Earth.

Paul Watson, co-founder of the eco-terrorist group Greenpeace, summed up the true face of the environmental movement when he said, "It doesn't matter what's true; it only matters what people believe is true ... You are what the media define you to be. [Greenpeace] became a myth and a myth-generating machine." Amen.

#38 They are out to get us

2009-08-26T13:34:00.002-06:00

As many of you may know I work as a mortgage broker. I enjoy my work and get to help good people get home loans. This is one more case where I wish the government would get its big uninvited nose out of out business. In an effort to save people money (and in turn take it away from someone else... ME!) the department of housing and urban development has released new rules stating that Mortgage brokers can no longer make a Yield Spread Premium on mortgage loans. This essentially will KILL all mortgage brokers. Luckily here in our office we are making inroads to become a correspondent lender, thus alleviating us of this problem. however it is a sad state of affairs when the government is out to eradicate legitimate business. I will be calling my congressman and any other group contemplating legal action.

#37 Some times a course direction is in order.

2009-08-19T14:11:00.003-06:00

Over the past 3 years I have made course changes in my life. Some of them were, how shall we say, not advisable for anyone else to make. Others were great choices like Marrying Heather. Over this time I have learned much. One such lesson is that sometimes you are just wrong, no matter how high and mighty you think you are, you are just WRONG. The transcript below perfectly shows exactly what I mean.

I am very thankful for the "lighthouses" in my life that have steered me in the direction I am heading today. It sure feels nice to have the way lit before me so that I am not lost.

#36 Beat at bowling by my 2 year old

2009-08-18T17:48:00.007-06:00

My wife said recently that this blog was getting "too Political" So in her honor the next weeks worth of blogs will not be politcal. just fun, which brings me to this post. My parents were in town over the weekend. For fun we decided to take all the kids bowling. The kids were VERY excited and we set up the bumpers so that every one would have fun. Check out the pictures.

Grandapa, Grandma and Dad (me)

Shelbie Shaking her Booty

Shelbie still shaking

Grandma and Kayla

The Kids shoes

My Hot Prego Wife

As you may have surmised this is the 2 year old that beat EVERYONE with the exception of Grandpa. Seriously what 2 year old bowls in the 120's???

#35 21 Ways to be a good Democrat

2009-08-14T14:28:00.001-06:00

I found this online. I am generally much more conservative as many of you know. however the inconsistency was just too funny to not be shared,

1. You have to be against capital punishment, but support abortion on demand.

2. You have to believe that businesses create oppression and governments create prosperity.

3. You have to believe that guns in the hands of law-abiding Americans are more of a threat than U.S. Nuclear weapons technology in the hands of Chinese and North Korean communists.

4. You have to believe that there was no art before Federal funding.

5. You have to believe that global temperatures are less affected by cyclical documented changes in the earth’s climate and more affected by soccer moms driving SUV’s.

6. You have to believe that the AIDS virus is spread by a lack of federal funding.

7. You have to believe that the same teacher who can’t teach fourth graders how to read is somehow qualified to teach those same kids about sex.

8. You have to believe that hunters don’t care about nature, but loony activists who have never been outside of San Francisco do.

9. You have to believe that self-esteem is more important than actually doing something to earn it.

10. You have to believe that Mel Gibson spent $25 million of his own money to make The Passion of the Christ for financial gain only.

11. You have to believe the NRA is bad because it supports certain parts of the Constitution, while the ACLU is good because it supports certain parts of the Constitution.

12. You have to believe that taxes are too low, but ATM fees are too high.

13. You have to believe that Margaret Sanger and Gloria Steinem are more important to American history than Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Edison, and A.G. Bell.

14. You have to believe that standardized tests are racist, but racial quotas and set-asides are not.

15. You have to believe that Hillary Clinton is normal and is a very nice person.

16. You have to believe that the only reason socialism hasn’t worked anywhere it’s been tried is because the right people haven’t been in charge.

17. You have to believe conservatives telling the truth belong in jail, but a liar and a sex offender belonged in the White House.

18. You have to believe that homosexual parades displaying drag, transvestites, and bestiality should be constitutionally protected, and manger scenes at Christmas should be illegal.

19. You have to believe that illegal Democratic Party funding by the Chinese Government is somehow in the best interest to the United States.

20. You have to believe that this message is a part of a vast, right wing conspiracy.

21. You have to believe that it’s okay to give Federal workers off on Christmas Day but it’s not okay to say “Merry Christmas.”

Ready to vote???

#34 Hmmm this is a little disconcerting...

2009-08-14T10:52:00.003-06:00

So I am not going to leap to conclusions here. let me just preface that the 1st two pictures below are Logos of the Obama health care plan. the Bottom two... well if you don't know what they are you have not seen enough "Indiana Jones" Movies.

#33 Good Music is just good music

2009-08-10T11:02:00.006-06:00

So I listen to a lot of music through the day. I am a big fan of Pandora.com where I set up "stations" that allow me to listen to all sorts of music that I enjoy. Metallica, Stone Temple Pilots, Fall Out Boy, The Eagles, Led Zeppelin, even a little Michael Jackson from time to time. Recently in an effort to have a more relaxing work environment I have started listening to John Schmidt. He is a pianist and I enjoy the simple sound of a piano, especially when the works of the Masters (Bach, Beethoven, Mozart) are played. This video is a piece that Schmidt has been working on combining the Taylor Swift song "Love Story" with Coldplay's "Viva la Vida". I though it was awesome and had to share it.

#32 Time for Football

2009-08-06T11:21:00.003-06:00

Today is the first day of Fall camp for BYU. I am VERY excited to see this season unfold. Once again I have season tickets. This time as a Cougar Club member. We have a pair of seats in the West stands with our neighbor. I excited to see Florida State, TCU, and Utah all come strolling through the meat grinder that we call Lavell Edwards Stadium. We have not lost in 3 years at home (18 straight wins) and I don't see us starting now. Should we pull off an unexpected win against Oklahoma in Dallas (think 1993 Miami) then we could be in line for a magical season. I CAN'T WAIT!!!

#31 Ten Freedoms that I enjoy

2009-08-05T10:39:00.000-06:00

The Military of the United States has helped to maintain the freedoms of our country. Since the revolutionary war veterans from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines have shed blood, sweat, and tears to protect the liberties that we hold dear. The following is a list of just ten of the freedoms for which I am grateful that those veterans have protected over the past 233 years. They are listed in no particular order.

#1 Freedom to worship God how I see fit. This is an inalienable right. One that is guaranteed to us by the constitution. And while some fight to take away this right, by limiting how or where we may worship, one thing is certain: veterans of the United States have fought to protect our right to worship our God. In God we trust is not a cute tag line, but a mantra that the Founding Fathers lived by

#2 Freedom to say what I want to say. Speech is protected by the 1st amendment. It allows me to write this blog for veterans. It allows me to question those who govern me. Again this is an inalienable right and one which I often over look and will never be thankful enough for.

#3 Freedom to own a firearm. This is a hot button issue across the country right now. Many Veterans and non-vets alike enjoy the freedoms secured by the 2nd Amendment. The right to own a gun is a right meant to ensure that the government cannot hold the country hostage as the British did before the Revolutionary war. Along with our military organizations such as the NRA will work tirelessly to ensure that we never lose this freedom.

#4 Freedom to move. This is a freedom that many Veterans may take for granted. We have the ability to jump on the interstate and drive across the country if we so please. The freedom to move about our own country is not one that is shared universally. Many countries across the world do not allow their citizens to move about as freely a we do.

#5 Freedom to cause change. In the United States of America we have right and obligation to make changes to the makeup of our government when we disagree with how we are being led. It is our duty to observe how are elected officials represent us, and ,should their values not reflect our own, to oust them from power.

#6 Freedom of Press. Much like freedom of speech, freedom of the press allows the news to be reported. It also allows blogs like this one to be posted for reading. The press has the responsibility to report the news no matter how damning it may be. The press helps the people to be informed and cause change.

#7 Freedom to Own a home. This freedom may be taken for granted by many veterans and non-vets alike. Because of our due process laws we are able to own our own homes without fear of our government taking it away without compensation.

#8 Freedom to get an education. We are not limited by our government as to what we can and cannot do with our own lives. Because of the military we are free to be educated as we see fit. As an added benefit to our veterans, programs have been established to help them with their education. The Montgomery GI Bill and other programs such as ROTC has allowed generations of veterans the opportunity to be well educated in the field of their choice.

#9 Freedom of Entrepreneurship. Thanks to our military’s and its veterans efforts we are able to enjoy the capitalist society that we have. Entrepreneurship is the basic form of capitalism. At its heart the economy of America rides on the backs of small business owners and the entrepreneurial spirit that they foster.

#10 Freedom to not live in fear. Perhaps the most underestimated freedom that American have because of our veterans. This freedom was briefly put away after the events of 9/11, however because of the brave men and women of our military Americans once again do not live in fear.

#30 Cash for Clunkers... You're government spies on you and you don't know it.

2009-08-03T14:48:00.002-06:00

So I just had to post this video... Its pretty ludicrous and sounds just like a government bent on destroying liberty.

#29 Sweet Revenge

2009-07-30T09:19:00.004-06:00

Sorry I have been MIA for the past couple of days. I have been battling what I think is an inner ear infection that has REALLY screwed with my equilibrium. And as you know economists like to have everything in equilibrium (OK that was a bad Econ joke).

So back to the Blogs. Today I found a You-tube video that gave me a good laugh. This guy in Florida had his car towed and impounded by one of the oh-so-typical towing companies. His revenge?? He decided that he would pay the fine with US legal tender. Legal tender of the copper variety. That's right he paid his $88 towing bill with 8800 pennies. Check it out for yourself. I know how I am going to pay my next stupid ticket/towing bill.

#28 The Debt Car

2009-07-27T15:19:00.007-06:00

So thanks to one of my very favorite authors, Brad Thor, for posting the link to this video. I am not sure I have seen a better representation for what Sheik Barrak Hussein Obama is doing to America.

#27 A REAL American Hero

2009-07-23T11:06:00.003-06:00

I got an email from my dad today. This doesn't happen too often as I generally just call my parents or we converse over IM. But this one brought tears to my eyes. There is a Viral email going around the internet requesting a memorial service for one of the "Band of Brothers". I have not received the email but with a little Google research I found the full text:

Fwd: Band of Brothers Hero

One of the "Band of Brothers" soldiers died on June 17, 2009.

We're hearing a lot today about big splashy memorial services.

I want a nationwide memorial service for Darrell "Shifty" Powers.

Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.

I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle", the symbol of the 101st Airborne, on his hat.

Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how many jumps he made.

Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until sometime in 1945 . . . " at which point my heart skipped.

At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . . do you know where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped.

I told him yes, I know exactly where Normandy was, and I know what D-Day was. At that point he said "I also made a second jump into Holland, into Arnhem." I was standing with a genuine war hero . . . . and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day.

I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France, and he said "Yes. And it's real sad because these days so few of the guys are left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip." My heart was in my throat and I didn't know what to say.

I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in Coach, while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it, that I'd take his in coach.

He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are still some who remember what we did and still care is enough to make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it. And mine are brimming up now as I write this.

Shifty died on June 17 after fighting cancer.

There was no parade.

No big event in Staples Center.

No wall to wall back to back 24x7 news coverage.

No weeping fans on television.

And that's not right.

Let's give Shifty his own Memorial Service, online, in our own quiet way. Please forward this email to everyone you know. Especially to the veterans.

Rest in peace, Shifty.

"A nation without heroes is nothing."
Roberto Clemente

The best part of the story is that its all true. This article on ABC goes on to tell us that the story is not just and urban legend. I'm not sure that it could be put better than how my dad ended his email.

"Every single citizen living in a democracy in 2009 owes a huge debt to the men and women of my parent's generation who sacrificed so much and then came home to quiet anonymity. Remember as you see the very elderly shuffling about that they were once young too and have given the best of themselves for the good of everyone."

Thanks Shifty! and every other TRUE American hero.

#26 A day to celebrate

2009-07-23T10:08:00.002-06:00

I got a phone call from my baby sister this morning. The first words I heard? "I'm Engaged!!" My next question was "to Who??" actually no that wasn't what I said but it might have been funny had I. I am happy for my little sister and my soon-to-be Brother-in-law. I regularly call him goofy looking but he is a great guy and a great fit for my sister. Congratulations you two.

Today is also the birthday of a dear friend of mine. Regan Housley. Regan and I lived in the same apartment complex and became fast friends when we realized we share a similar whit and sarcastic sense of humor. We worked as life counselors for each other and we are great friends. She has moved back to Oklahoma and I miss our therapeutic lunches. I am grateful for friends like Regan and wish her the best today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY REGAN!!!

#25 Americans must be idiots.

2009-07-22T12:19:00.002-06:00

It's official the president of our beloved country clearly thinks that we re all idiots. Tonight he is taking to the airways in an attempt to tell us how neat he is, why we should RUSH to pass a Health care reform bill that has little hope of reforming health care. Now we have all heard about this by now. And if you haven't then you have likely not been paying attention. The kicker here is that President Obama is going to try and tell us how "great" a job he has been doing since taking office 6 months ago. Now does he really think we are that stupid?? He is going to attempt to tell us that he has "rescued the economy from the worst recession" Seriously??? I know that his idiot economic adviser thinks its all over because we are googling the term "economic Depression" anymore, but pa-leeeez. Maybe he should have a nice chat with some of the people I speak with each day in Detroit where their unemployment is at 13% or in California where it is over 11%. The economy has not recovered. "spending our way our of Bankruptcy" is not the answer even if Obama/Biden would like for you to think that. I ain't drinking the Kool-Aid on this one. Even Mitt Romney the former governor of the ONLY state to have a "reformed" healthcare system thinks this is rotten Idea.

Personally I HATE being talked to like a 5 year old. And I really hate it when politicians assume that I am not intelligent enough to understand that they are picking my pocket. Don't Tread on Me.

#24 The coolest plane on Earth now on the scrap heap

2009-07-21T15:22:00.003-06:00

Today the Senate voted down a funding package for the F-22 Raptor. The F-22 (shown above) is probably the coolest feet of aeronautical engineering since the Wright Flier. The Pentagon, thanks to its new budget, will stop production at 159 aircraft. What the Dem's don't seem to be able to wrap their tiny brains around is that the Clinton Administration took similar measures in the late 90's to "streamline" the Military. And we all know what happened in September of 2001 as a result. The kicker here is that President Obama threatened to veto the entire budget should ANY F-22 funding be involved. Seriously if this guy can't control it he doesn't want it to exist. I guess that Obama can personally appeal to the workers in 44 states that he is putting out of work by canning this weapon system. You know with all the talk about "job's saved and created" why aren't we talking about the "lives destroyed by job loss" or "jobs sent to China"? That is a post for an entirely different day. R.I.P. F-22. You are still the best and baddest thing that has ever come to the Fighter plane world.

#23 Economic turn around

2009-07-21T10:43:00.003-06:00

Recently I had a good belly laugh followed by smacking my head against a cement wall. What could cause such a reaction you say?? President Obama's chief economic adviser said that the economy was on its way back up. Now this normally would be great news. But lets just say that I like to take every thing that comes from the "Obamanation" with a grain of salt. Obama's chief economic adviser is Larry Summers. what are his credentials you ask?? Well according to Wikipedia;

"Lawrence Henry Summers (born November 30, 1954) is an American economist and the Director of the White House's National Economic Council for President Barack Obama.^[1] Summers is the Charles W. Eliot University Professor at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. He is the 1993 recipient of the John Bates Clark Medal for his work in several fields of economics and was Secretary of the Treasury for the last year and a half of the Clinton Administration. Summers also served as the 27th President of Harvard University from 2001 to 2006."

So you see a Harvard professor and former University President. Former Secretary of the Treasury, this guy should be well suited to explain to us why the economy has finally hit bottom and bounced back. His deft explanation?

" The number of people searching for the term "Economic depression" on Google is down to normal levels."

Let me get this straight you are telling me that our President is trusting the likes of Larry Summers to drive our economy?? To put it simply: AMERICA IS SCREWED!!!
Now you can see why I have a headache from beating my head against the wall. I have a degree in Economics. And BYU is no slouch of a school either. Granted it is not Harvard, and I do not hold any advanced degrees, but I think that my daughter Shelbie could have come up with a better economic analysis than this. So please click this link, and this link, and this link so that Mr Summers can get a better grasp on reality by pulling his head out of the most southern orifice on his body. Or perhaps you would like to Google search "America thinks Larry Summers is an IDIOT" Either way if you are going to beat your head against a wall maybe choose one that is slightly less hard than the cement one I found.

#22 Summer Television

2009-07-17T08:00:00.001-06:00

My television viewing habits have changed a bit since the "24" season finale in May. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. I am currently anxiously engaged in watching 3 particular programs on a weekly basis. Burn Notice, Royal Pains, and So you think you can dance. I will go into detail on each here below so that hopefully you too will find some enjoyable summer television.

Burn Notice
Burn Notice is easily the best show on television that you have never heard of. This witty action/spy show has a bit of everything. Michael Weston is the main character. Once you get past the fact that he is played by the same creepy guy from Hitch with Will Smith (Jeffrey Donovan), you realize that Michael is in fact McGyver in spy form. The guy can improvise just about anything to get the job done. Lots of stuff blows up, and generally speaking the bad guys get nailed and the innocents remain safe. I love the show. Heather was subjected to 4-5 straight hours of it one day when we were dating so she puts up with my watching it.

Royal Pains
Royal Pains is a very clever medically based comedic drama. The main character Hank is to doctors what Michael Weston is to spy's. Simply put he is awesome. He was an ER doc in NYC, engaged to a beautiful woman and then his life came crumbling down when a rich hospital donor died because of an accident. He was black balled, embroiled in a law suit, and thrown out of the traditional medical community. After being convinced to spend Memorial Day weekend with his social ladder climbing CPA little brother in the Hamptons, Hank finds a new job opportunity as an on-call concierge doctor to the Uber rich and well connected. The drama and hilarity ensues. Definitely a must watch.

So You Think You Can Dance
This is the on going Dance version of American Idol. It is quite entertaining and my Wife and Son love to watch it. Currently there is 1 contestant from Utah (before this week there were 2 and both are very good.) They are currently narrowed down from the top 20 to the Top 8.

Time to set your TiVo's people.

#21 Michael Jackson is DEAD people

2009-07-16T08:00:00.002-06:00

Now I know that this is old news to most but some people cannot seem to just let the Dude be dead. And some people are holding on so hard that they seem to want to blame his death on someone other than him. Seriously the dude was more plastic than skin. You don't think all those trips under the knife might have seriously screwed up his boy in more than one way?

Once question I have is who should pay for the funeral??? Its a fairly obvious answer isn't it? THE CITY!.... er... wait... ummm... Every funeral that I have ever been too has been paid by Family. But in this article it clearly states that the City of L.A. is going to foot the $1.4 MILLION dollar bill for the sob fest that took place at the staples center. Now maybe you remember seeing this article about the state writing IOU's to pay bills instead of actually paying them. So is this ULTRA IMPORTANT event going to get paid for in cash or worthless pieces of paper ( and yes as a trained Economist I see how the argument could be made that both cash and an IOU are equally worthless, Thanks Obama!) This just goes to show how off base our country is. And just how much the state of California resembles a Cereal box. Its funny really...

Q. - Whats the difference between California and a box of breakfast cereal?
A. - Oh that would be the cardboard... you see both are already full of fruits, flakes, and Nuts.

Well California now has one less nut now.

DISCLAIMER: I enjoy Michael Jackson's music. I think that he was an extraordinary performer. Thriller was the first album that I ever owned, and on vinyl no less. I even have a Pandora radio station based on the album.

#20 A lack on inspiration

2009-07-15T15:33:00.002-06:00

Today I can't think of anything particularly clever to write about. Even my cleverness has its limits it would seem. 10 things I Have found out today are:

1) Felix Hernandez could be a contender for the AL CY Young award this year
2) The Hamptons are located on the Eastern edge of Long Island, NY (for why I found this out you will have to wait for a forthcoming blog post : )
3) Carlos Boozer is a big aft idiot
4) If the Mariners can get to the World series they will have home field advantage. Thanks to the AL 4-3 win over the NL last night in the Midsummer Classic.
5) BYU football now has 20 recruits for the 2010 class that won't sign until February 2010.
6) Taylor Bean & Whitaker is one of the most poorly run mortgage companies I have ever had the displeasure to deal with. not only are they dead in the water to close anything else this month (yes it is mid month) but they are also having difficulty funding the loans that have closed.
7) My wife is the most amazing woman on the planet. 'Nuf said.
8) Making changes to your house after it is already complete and being lived in is a royal pain in the rear.
9) Yards are expensive
10) NOT having a yard is a royal pain too.

Now granted this does not constitute the the full scope of my learning for the day, but it does give you an idea of how my day has been. Hopefully tomorrow inspiration will strike. :)

#19 Find your dream and live it.

2009-07-14T14:12:00.003-06:00

"Living the Dream", that's how a few of my friends have answered the question "how are you. Today I read the blog of my Buddy Ian. Ian and I have a storied history. We became fast friends while sitting at the back of our summer Drivers Ed. class as obnoxious 15 year old kids. We both share a love of baseball and we were both LDS which just added to the fun. we spent the summer carousing and harassing the teacher of our class. That fall I was a sophomore in High School and Ian was one of the few kids that i knew as I was the FNG. (FNG for those not used to military acronyms stands for "Freaking New Guy" or some derivation thereof) Because I swapped school districts between Jr. High and High School. I Digress... Ian and I were both in the MTC learning Spanish prior to laboring in South America. He in Venezuela and me in Chile. After returning from our missions I took the more traditional "Peter Priesthood" route and quickly got married while he enjoyed the finer points of bachelorhood. Somewhere along the way we both found the dream and are living it. I am blissfully wed to my sweetheart Heather and with 3 kids and one on the way I could not be happier. Soon my wife and I will be together for all eternity as we are sealed in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. Ian is in Alaska. Now to be truthful I have never had much desire to visit Alaska on anything other than an extreme skiing adventure. But after reading Ian's most recent blog post (which you too can read here) I can see the lure in a very Walt Whitman sort of way. Now Nome Alaska may not be Golden pond, but he certainly makes a case. While Ian's dream seems pretty cool and I might like to visit for a while I am living my dream. But its also brings into contrast how dreams change. Back in 2001 my dream was to sit behind the stick of a fighter jet at Mock 2 with my hair on fire. And, again while this sounds like a great time (and I still hope my Air Force buddies come through on such a ride for me) after seeing some of my best friends away from their families for 6 months at a time I know that that dream would likely be more of a nightmare. I am thankful for what I have and for the people who surround me. I have a job that lets me provide for them and have fun along the way. I am truly living the dream.

#18 In case of Boredom STUMBLE!

2009-07-13T14:45:00.002-06:00

I have a very interesting job that can consist of moments of boredom followed by mass hysteria. In those times of boredom I have come to rely on the little "Stumble" button on my Firefox browser. Stumble upon is a very useful browser plugin that allows you to see random internet web pages and then quickly review them (Thumbs up/down) so that Stumble can better tailor your internet surfing experience. On the Stumble website you can tell it what sorts of things you like to see. what you don't care to see and any other preference to fit your needs. For all those who find themselves with time to spare on the web I highly recommend.

#17 Inspiration and wisdom from childrens' books

2009-07-10T07:55:00.004-06:00

I'm a dad as you all know (or you are the least observant person on the Earth, as a picture with my wife and Kids is just above) So I read a LOT of children's books. What I was impressed to find was that one of my favorite authors for kids books was really quite inspirational. Check this out:

A person's a person, no matter how small.
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose.
Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.
From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere.
Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.
Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way.
If you never did, you should. These things are fun, and fun is good.
I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful, one hundred percent.
So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.
And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed.
Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.
All alone! Whether you like it or not, alone is something you'll be quite a lot. - Dr. Seuss
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.
Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.
I'm afraid sometimes you'll play lonely games too, games you can't win because you'll play against you
I'm sorry to say so but, sadly it's true that bang-ups and hang-ups can happen to you
From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere.
I know up on the top you are seeing great sights, but down at the bottom we, too, should have rights.

Now as I'm sure you have surmised these are from none other than Theodore Geisel A.K.A. Dr. Suess (1904-1991).

Now my little sister won't ever forget "Rosie Robin Ross riding on her red Rinoserross", and I am a big fan of "Oh the places you'll go", the Star bellied sneetches, and "Green eggs & Ham" but who knew that these silly rhymes would be so filled with logic and real life... I think I need to buy a few more of these for my kids.

#16 I Fought the Lawn

2009-07-09T14:23:00.002-06:00

So the other day the City of Riverton sent us a mean little piece of mail. The hate mail came in the form of a letter requesting that we knock down the weeds on our property. Now normally I would consider myself pretty good at keeping the lawn cut... But there in lies the inherent problem. We don't have a yard. What we have is a lot a dirt, which at this point is chucked full of weeds. We have all intentions of making our land into a near paradise but all that comes with a price tag. and this year the price tag was just a bit too much to swallow. So we have some really nice Natural landscaping. But because I have no desire to pay the City any more money than they already take from me I spent last night behind a Brush cutting mower knocking down the forest that our yard had become. After about an hour and a half I was finished and you could actually see the patio in the back yard. This weekend the excavation of my basement walk out begins, as well as preparations to pour our RV pad along the side of the house. Lots of work to do. I think this round of Lawn wars went to me... but who is counting? This war will rage on for years.

#15 Headaches are no fun

2009-07-08T13:48:00.002-06:00

So as I sat down today trying to think what blog number 15 should be about I found myself with a headache. I don't like headaches. they are pesky and I prefer not to deal with them, yet today I find myself at work dealing with a particularly pesky one. It started out very slowly. but now at 2PM its a full blown doozy. I think the worst part is that I get to continue staring at computer screen when what I would prefer to do is take a nap. Granted this is not the worst that I have ever dealt with, but still! Why is it that just when I need a clear head I get a nice headache... Headaches stink!... and now that I reread this... so does this post. here's hoping better things to come. :)

#14 Pardon me while I wax philosphical

2009-07-07T07:53:00.003-06:00

I don't usually use the my blog as a place to talk about my testimony, but today I will. As I went to bed last night I felt impressed to reread Enos (shown above) in the Book of Mormon. Now in the past verse 2 has been the focus of much of my study;

"And I will tell you of the ^awrestle which I had before God, before I received a ^bremission of my sins."

Now anyone who has ever read Enos knows that it is all about repentance. Lately this has been on my mind as I have made great leaps spiritually of late. But last night was altogether different. I was instead drawn in my Verse 4;

"And my soul ^ahungered; and I ^bkneeled down before my Maker, and I ^ccried unto him in mighty ^dprayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens."

But more specifically I focused on the very beginning, "And my soul hungered". In dozens of reading of the Book of Mormon I had obviously read this passage before but never before had it touched me in this way. So I did what I do when I am touched, I pulled out my journal and began to write, so that I might capture the thoughts and feelings as they came to me. Even this morning as I write this, new understanding is coming to me with regards to these four words. My soul has hungered for a very long time. I feel that it is finally BEGINNING to get the nourishment that it so desperately craves. In the coming week I will attend the Temple again for the first time in nearly two years. I cannot wait. I am so very anxious to feel the spiritual power boost that is there. I have promised myself and committed to a friend that I will attend each and every week for the next year. This will come as a bit of a sacrifice (to my sleep mostly) but the reward will FAR outweigh the price. It has been quite some time since something this spiritual has excited me, but it is doing just that. I don't ever again want to be as Spiritually malnourished as I have been over the past few years. A friend told me a quote that I liked;

"Church is for those who are afraid to go to Hell. Spirituality is for those who have already been there"

I have been there. And I don't EVER want to go back. That's why I need both. The future today looks bright, VERY bright.

#13 Lucky 13 would be an unlucky event.

2009-07-06T09:46:00.002-06:00

For blog #13 of 100 I have some unlucky news. Last night my youngest, Shelbie, was diagnosed with Influenza H1N1. More commonly known as the "Swine Flu". She was running a 103 Degree fever and was quite miserable. Heather also likely has it as Shelbie has been a mommies girl for the past few days. Last night while we were attempting to give Shelbie her medicine she decided to first spit/cough it back in my face then what we eventually did get her to swallow she threw up all over daddy. Needless to say sick 2 year olds are not fun, but sick pregnant mommies are even more cause for concern as the anti-viral medicine is not safe for pregnant women. I just hope the the prayers and blessings work and that all three come through none the worse for wear.

#12 Let Freedom Ring

2009-07-03T10:03:00.002-06:00

This weekend is July 4th. The day that we celebrate our nations independence. This year I am feeling a bit more patriotic. Feeling like I should get out and do something other than blow stuff up. We really do live in the greatest country on Earth. We are blessed to have freedoms that others don't have. But with that freedom comes great responsibility. We are morally bound to make sure that we stay free, by electing officials that actually stand for what we believe in. If we don't, we forfeit our freedom. HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!! LET FREEDOM RING!!

#11 The real reason I am Alive.

2009-07-02T11:42:00.003-06:00

This is a picture of the Oquirrh Mountain LDS temple. My wife Heather and I are hoping to be sealed there on our anniversary September 1st. We have recently submitted all the required paperwork to make this dream, a year in the making, a reality. The Temple is God's home on Earth. Each one has inscribed on it "Holiness to the Lord, the house of the Lord". We are looking forward to attending the dedicatory services on August 23rd with our son Parker. It will be a great experience for all involved. I highly recommend ANYONE to go through the temple open house that is ongoing until August 1st. It is a beautiful building and represents things that are sacred and even more Holy. I am so lucky to have the opportunity to live with my wife into the eternities through the sacred act of sealing. This is the reason that I am alive. To live forever with my sweetheart and our kids. I cannot think of Heaven without my wife there, and when I want to feel what Heaven is like while I am here I attend the temple. I am so grateful for the opportunity to feel my Saviors love there. HE is the reason I live.

#10 Bumpers stickers.

2009-07-01T10:43:00.007-06:00

A co-worker of mine sent me an email with a bunch of bumper stickers. These are all quite funny (as long as you are not a Progressive liberal) and I thought they needed to be shared with the world at large.

WARNING!!: Bumpers Stickers may be rated PG-13 and require a sense of humor. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

#9 Spy Novels Rule!!

2009-06-30T11:47:00.005-06:00

I am a BIG fan of spy novels. I often tell my wife that a book is better than a movie for me because the stories are better and I can see it all in my head. "The Apostle" is the newest book by one of my favorite Authors, Brad Thor. Thor along with Vince Flynn and Clive Cussler form the triumvirate of must reed authors for me. There are a few others that I enjoy but these 3 are must reads. The one caveat is that Cussler novels must be all Cussler. Meaning I only really like the Dirk Pitt novels. The ones he puts his name on but someone else writes are not nearly as good. I own every book from these three authors and continue to enjoy rereading them again and again. Now Dirk Pitt is not an assassin like Mitch Rapp (Flynn) and Scot Harvath (Thor) but he is still a superhero in plain clothes. I think the world would be a much safer place with men like Harvath, Rapp, and Pitt around. Maybe the Progressive movement wouldn't be so alive and well. Maybe term limits would be a reality (see Flynn:Term Limits). Whatever the case I am looking forward to getting cozy with a good book and letting the movie in my mind play out.

#8 Stop Progressives. Save the Country

2009-06-29T11:06:00.002-06:00

Over the weekend I finished "Common Sense" by Glenn Beck. It was a great read and EVERYONE in America should read it. It should be required reading before you are able to register to vote. Granted Beck is a bit over the top on some issues, but he brings some light to issues that many of us (yours truly included) have simply stuck our head in the sand over. Sadly this is not the same hole that most congressmen seem to have there heads in. That is a different orifice entirely. Case in Point: Cap and Trade. The Democrat controlled house pushed this bill through on Friday much to my own and millions of other Americans chagrin.
Read the book. It takes a fresh look at current politics and the scary and destructive road that out government is leading us down. Stop Progressives. Save the country.

#7 Summer Movies Revisted - Transformers

2009-06-26T11:40:00.005-06:00

So last night we took Parker to see the New Transformers movie. It was exactly what I expected and contrary to what you would find on Rotten Tomatoes I LOVED the movie. Yes it was long, and no you should not drink a couple of large sodas before going in without using the facilities. But on the whole it was a TON of action along with a fairly decent story line. This movie was never going to be an Oscar nominee. Its based on a combination of action figures and a cartoon for crying out loud. There was a ton of action, there was comedy, and for its target audience (18-35 Year old Boys) there was also Megan Fox. Lucky for me I am Married to a woman who has Ms. Fox beat on looks and smarts and I couldn't be happier, thus I can exclude myself from the target demographic. Whether it was the bathroom style humor of a Decepticon genitalia, the antics of an Ancient Decepticon turned Autobot who was "Too old for this crap" the movie was funny. The movie had action and explosions a plenty. Easily worth the $8 and likely worth a purchase on Blu-ray.

#6 IT'S A BOY!!!!

2009-06-25T12:02:00.003-06:00

We took the whole family in for an ultrasound to find out what variety of little on we have coming our way. It didn't take long for an immodest little boy to grace the ultrasound screen. We are all very excited about "Baby brother" and we look forward to his arrival in December. My wife is pretty much the hottest pregnant lady on Earth, I am a lucky guy to have her. We will get pictures scanned and posted here as well as my facebook page.

#5 Fuming over Cap & Trade

2009-06-24T08:29:00.002-06:00

So currently our Congress is considering the Cap & Trade regulations. Before I start to vent, PLEASE CALL YOUR CONGRESSMEN Tell them to vote NO! now that that's out of the way... What is Cap and Trade you ask? The bed wetting liberal environmentalists think that by charging companies when they have to high of emissions (by some mythical standard) and allowing them to trade their quotas between companies. Here are the problems that I see. I am all for saving mother earth and not choking out the air that we breathe. Heaven knows I HATE seeing that ugly layer of smog during the weeks of inversion that we suffer here in Salt Lake City. As a Missionary I lived in the worlds worst pollution in Santiago. Here is the problem this at its core is a NEW TAX! Cap & Trade is going to cause our monthly outlay of cash to GO UP! Our Utility bills are going to go up. Electric plants cause emissions which is exactly what is being regulated. so guess who is going to pay for it?? You got it.. US! This is at its core the largest single tax increase EVER!. but don't even get me started on socialized medicine. today we have to STOP CAP & TRADE!

#4 I hate the end of the month

2009-06-23T10:10:00.002-06:00

So in my job right now the end of the month can be a VERY stressful time. I am constantly running to make sure that every "i" is dotted and every "t" is crossed on each loan that I do. Sometimes this is an easy task. Sometimes it is quite daunting. This month I have 4 loans that I am trying to get pushed through underwriting so that I can get them closed by Thursday. Probably the Most aggravating thing is when people simply will not get back in touch with me. its tough to be accountable to others when you cannot get the info that you need. But things could be worse. Just before last Christmas I was unemployed. Each day is a blessing and with it a challenge.

#3 Fathers Day - A tribute to my Dad

2009-06-22T09:37:00.003-06:00

So yesterday was Fathers Day. This is a day that I get to celebrate as the father of 1 (soon to be 2) of my own kids as well as Dad to 2 more that live with me. One of my favorite quotes is "Anyone can be a Father, but it takes someone special to be a Daddy". I Have a Daddy. He is a great man and the more that I look at him the more I realize that I am becoming him, and I couldn't be happier. If I am in as good a shape as my old man when I am his age I will be proud. He spent the past Friday climbing Mt. Rainier. For those of you who don't know Mt. Rainier is the tallest peak in the lower 48 states. This from a guy who sits at a computer nearly 80 hours a week and it nearing 55 years of age. His physical prowess is not to be outdone by his greatness as a Dad, Provider, and Friend. He is my ski buddy. He treats my mother, my sisters, and ,perhaps most touching, my wife as though they are the most precious commodity on earth. And I have to say that they are. I have learned a great deal form my Dad and I am PROUD to share his name (yes as many of you know JR is just another way of saying Junior, as in George Jr.) My Dad couldn't be a better example to me of how to treat loved ones and people in general. I, as a father, have been blessed to have such a great example of how to do the job right. I love you Pop. Happy Fathers Day, and thank you!

#2 Summer movie time

2009-06-19T16:12:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow Marks the first day of Summer. And every kid (and dad for that matter) knows what that means. MOVIES!!! Why it is that all the great movies seem to come out during the summer I am not sure... Well ok its probably because people are home form school and thus have more time. This doesn't change the fact that there are some AWESOME movies coming out this summer. The New Transformers comes out next Wednesday, G.I. Joe later this summer. Not to mention Star Trek and Angels and Demons that are already showing. I am looking forward to seeing many of these and you can expect reviews. Tomorrow I will likely be seeing "The Proposal" with my Super Hot wife. I love the summer time!

#1 Are liberals trying to destroy our country??

2009-06-18T08:05:00.002-06:00

Lately I have been listening to a fair bit more talk radio than I have in the past. Granted I ALWAYS listen to sports radio in an effort to get my fix of Cougar Football and Mariner Baseball, but lately I have been listening to more Glenn Beck and Dave Ramsey with a smidgen (and I mean a smidgen) of Sean Hannity. It has opened my eyes and ears to a fair bit of alarming ideas that are being perpetuated by our now left leaning government. Now first a disclaimer. I am a generally optimistic person. I don't find any gratification in gloom and doom. I don't see the point in focusing on the bad it just makes me depressed and in a generally bad mood. And I don't like being in a foul mood. This disclaimer aside, our nations president is doing some things that REALLY BUG ME. He is gallivanting over the world APOLOGIZING for AMERICANS BEING AMERICAN. And now he seems intent on making USA stand for United SOCIALISTS of America. The pendulum has swung VERY hard to the left and we can only hope that it returns to the right as soon as possible or the prophesy that "The Constitution of the United States will hang by a thread"

100 Blogs in 100 Days (or perhaps more??)

2009-06-18T07:57:00.002-06:00

So last night as I was driving home I decided that I needed to get more creative. I though to myself "SELF how can we be more creative and vent the thoughts that plague us?" and immediately I thought that I should start blogging with more frequency. Thus My plan to blog every day for the next 100. The biggest pitfalls will be on the weekends (obviously) but I will endeavor to make it happen. More of my whit and sarcasm mixed with some deep thought. As I look for things worth writing about I hope to open my eyes to all sorts of new ideas and thoughts. Wish me luck!

Funny (Conservative) stuff

2009-05-12T12:10:00.003-06:00

So in my meanderings around the internet I have come across many funny things. This picture is pretty high on the list. I am conservative in most regards. I would vote for Mitt Romney given a chance. I am currently reading "An Inconvenient Book" by Glenn Beck and find it hilarious and true. That's why I find this funny. Coming up?? More good blogs from me and (after much clamoring) pictures of our new house.

Spring has Sprung!!

2009-04-20T14:35:00.002-06:00

Looking at the weather for the next few Days I can't help but smile. temps climbing into the high 70's and low 80's. Sunshine all around. My golf clubs are screaming to be let out of their bag in the garage and should take their rightful place in the trunk of my car VERY soon. Even better news than the weather is that the Mariners are looking better than expected, and with a declining Angels team in the American League west may actually be relevant late even into the season. My BYU football season tickets are ordered and life has a great feel to it. I may even get around to blogging with more regularity again. :)

Random thoughts about random things

2009-03-16T08:46:00.002-06:00

So as I sit here at work on what should be a nice Monday i find myself being a bit on the pensive side. its times just like this when I feel that I should blog. let the creative juices flow if you will. For Example work. Here in the mortgage Industry some days can be very stressful. what do we use to combat the stress?? a Healthy dose of Mountain Dew, Honey BBQ Fritos flavor twists, and a healthy amount of wishing that we were Golfing or Skiing (dependent on the season). This weeks diversion may in fact be bracket watching. It is NCAA tourney time. once again BYU got hosed with their seed. and once again they play Texas A&M. The good news I guess is that A&M is not as good as last year, but then again neither are we.
Moving back to mortgages has been a blessing I think. I am able to make more money and I have a good time doing it. I think it will allow me to still reach my goal of being debt free (besides the house) by the time I turn 32. With The volume that I am seeing I am able to get quite a few loans each month, which in turn helps me to get nice things AND pay off debt. I would really like it if I can do well enough to let Heather be a true stay at home mom.
Ski season this year was a lot of fun. We took Parker and Makayla skiing for the first time and they had a lot of fun. I have such fond memories of skiing with my family, that I want this to be a bonding time for me and my kids.
Speaking of Bonding... Parker recently started playing America's past time. BASEBALL!!! His team is the Rockies and this league that he is paying is seriously hard core. 3 2 hr practices each week. but he is having fun so Heather and I are happy about it.

Ok I have run out of random thoughts...

Big Love

2009-03-11T14:26:00.003-06:00

Many of you I'm sure have heard about the upcoming episode of "Big Love" on HBO where sacred temple ordinances are to be displayed. I am outraged. I used this link to write a letter to HBO. Here is the text. I encourage all members of the church, and any church who believe that the things of God are sacred and not to be displayed to the world to also write.

Gentlemen,
The Airing of a sacred religious ordinance in a fictional show is disrespectful to MILLIONS of Americans. I understand the first amendment gives you the ability to do this, however you also have the right to remain silent. Many of us think you are simply unwilling to do something honorable. from your own admission, you had someone on set to vet the process and to determine its validity. Did it enter into your thinking that such a person had committed and promised to hold such things as sacred and to not divulge them. Thus by showing them to you they had demonstrated themselves a liar. I have not seen your episode. I do not plan to. taking what is sacred and portraying it with out the correct spirit (a Spirit which can only truly be felt in the holiest of places) is blasphemy. I do not consider myself a religious zealot, however I must speak up when the rights of those who are innocent are about to be trampled by those with the end game of earning a buck. I implore you to pull the episode. undergo a rewrite and move on with your series. Anything less is despicable.

Regards,

JR McKee

3 Months without Blogging!!!

2009-02-09T13:17:00.002-07:00

This is a shameful offense. I just realized that I have not posted a new blog in 3 MONTHS!!! Much has happened. I now work selling Mortgages not software, and my lovely wife and our kids moved into a new home. Life is rolling along quite well. I vow to spend more time on this blog as well as our family blog in teh coming week so that the world is up to date on the McKee family.

Negotiation 101

2008-11-07T11:49:00.001-07:00

Dwight the master of negotiation. This is how my Boss Matt would prefer that we engage in negotiation.

Negotiation 101 from Matt Asay on Vimeo.

New and inventive internet entertainment

2008-11-05T13:32:00.002-07:00

So recently a friend of mine turned me on to Hulu.com. This site is great. Tons of TV shows available on demand and the best part... IT'S FREE!!!!! I have found some time to catch up on the Office thanks to Hulu. Now instead of buying DVD'd with entire seasons I can log on and watch my favorite shows at my leisure. For example here is this seasons Office premier.

Now you too can spend countless hours entertaining yourself.

Halloween

2008-10-31T16:15:00.004-06:00

So Heather and I have Cute kids. As further proof of this we got pictures taken with them in their Halloween costumes. Lots of fun.

The 2 girls are both Tinkerbell and Parker is Prince Caspian. Credit to Grandma McKee for Making Makayla's Tinkerbell outfit, and Parker's Prince Caspian outfit. Grandma Karen (Heather's Mom) bought Shelbie her Tinkerbell outfit before she was born. Can't wait to meet such a special lady on the other side of the veil.

Live from New York

2008-10-27T16:21:00.001-06:00

This picture was taken not 10 minutes ago on time square in New York. This new job definately has some travel benefits. Tomorrow I plan to close a $1M (yes million) with the NYPD. I planto have the boys in blue help pay off my student loans :)

Uploaded by www.cellspin.net

24 is Back!!... Sort of

2008-10-23T14:31:00.002-06:00

That's right. The long awaited return of Jack Bauer is nearly here. The catch? it's only for a 2 hour special that will tease us until the real season gets rolling in January. For everyone who has not seen every episode (Heather :) ) you now have time to catch up fully before Jack comes back to save the world and kill some terrorists. Monday evenings will finally be restored to their natural order.

Return to Blog-o-Sphere - A month in review

2008-10-04T13:51:00.006-06:00

So since getting married I have been busy with more pressing matters, than could be blogged about. Things important to national security (I am at times a nation unto myself :)) and to the general well being of my life and Marriage. So on this Saturday I am taking time to blog a bit again. I do not know how often it will happen, but I do enjoy the outlet that writing can be for me. I always disliked English classes is in school, but I find that my creative juices flow a bit more freely as I blog. It helps me to clear my mind and come up with new and entertaining ways to make those around me smile. So here is a recap over the past month of Marital bliss:

Seattle:
Spent the day as tourists in Seattle. Went to pike place market. Saw wonderful things. Went up the Space Needle to get a great view of the City.

Mariners 4 Yankees 1. Glad I could see one of a few wins this season. Brandon Morrow is throwing a no hitter through 7 2/3 innings. great game to watch with great seats. First big league game that my sweatheart had ever been to.

BYU 28 UW 27. We win and yet lose 3 places in the polls. Voters never make much sense. It was a Good game but I much prefer a Blowout win.

Victoria BC:
We spent the day in BC seeing Buchart Gardens and the downtown Victoria area. It was realy wonderful and tiring. so Tiring that on the way home at about 10:30 pm that night I managed to total my Dad's MR2 (:( I loved that car) The lone good news I guess was that the insurance paid him only a few hundred dollars less than what he was trying to sell it for... See Dad I am willing to go to great lengths and risk life and limb to make a sale! :)

More BYU Football:
BYU is awesome this year. They have had both impressive and unimpressive wins. but they are undefeated and at the current time ranked as high as 7th in the coaches poll. With the right combination of events, it is not incnceivable for them to end up in the National Title game. Forget JUST the BCS. We want the TITLE!!!

Garage Sale:
Wow putting on a garage sale is tiring and hard work. but it netted us about $900 bucks! so I will complain strait to the bank. :)

I think that about catches us up on a Rainy Saturday afternoon. I will do my best to keep up. :)

McKee Family Blog

2008-10-04T13:43:00.004-06:00

I have created the McKee Family Blog (jrandheathermckee.blogspot.com) so that we can share our life together with everyone. I have posted a couple pics of our family to get us started. Here is a sample. Head over there to see the rest.

What Happens in Vegas...

2008-09-03T08:39:00.005-06:00

The Age old adage is "What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas". Well this is Not entirely true. On Sunday Heather and I decided to elope to Las Vegas. After being asked by multiple people why we were waiting until November to get married we took thier advice and got married at a wonderfully high class little chapel on the strip shown here(please note tongue firmly planted in cheek)

Drive through services are available however we decided to go with the classier chapel service. We tied the knot at 2 AM 0n Monday Morning and are now enjoying our happily ever after. The only thing that stayed in Vegas was our lives as single folk! :) And we couldn't be happier.

The Happy Couple

The view from our room at the Bellagio

In front of the Bellagio

First day of school

2008-08-28T14:40:00.003-06:00

So its official I have a Kindergartner. When was it exactly that I became old enough to have a kindergartner? I was reminded via a conversation with my mother about my first day of school in 1984. Yes it was a momentous year. BYU won the national championship and I started Kindergarten. I raced out the door before my mother had an opportunity to give me the requisite kiss goodbye or even shed a tear. Apparently my daughter had similar designs as she was ready to go long before dad and mom were ready to let her go. I did manage to snap a couple of pictures with my school ready little girl.

Camping

2008-08-28T14:26:00.006-06:00

This past weekend Heather and I took our kids camping to Moose Horn Lake in the Uinta mountains. We had lots of fun. I have a new found appreciation for how tough it is to camp with small kids. Very little sleep was the order for the weekdend. The first night was next to zero sleep courtesy of little Shelbie and Makayla. And while Makayla slept well the 2nd night Shelbie continued to give us fits. Ahh the joys of parenting. Here are some pics of the weekend. At her request Heather is not shown in the photos as, even though she is encredibly gorgeous at all hours of the day, she felt that the whole camping experience was a detriment to her photogeneity. I politely agreed to disagree with her :)

Daddy fishing "for" Makayla

Parker Fishing

Shelbie gettting close to nature (and dirty!)

Parker's catch

Makayla and Parker with the impressive morning backdrop.

Looking back...

2008-08-21T14:23:00.003-06:00

I was reminded recently about a blog post that I had put up here. One of my first actually. I was lamenting my re-entrance into the dating pool. It is funny to look back and see that in March I was asking for Princess Charming to show up. It took her a while but Heather showed up just in time. :) I am so thankful for her and I cannot wait for our Cancun Wedding on Nov 10th. Finally I get to begin the rest of my "Happily Ever After".

He Went to Jared!

2008-08-18T22:06:00.005-06:00

So as many of you may have read I have found my own Princess Charming. Her name is Heather and on Friday I asked her to marry me. The best part is SHE SAID YES!!! Here are a few pictures of her ring that I did indeed find at Jared The Galleria of Jewelry. Heather sends her condolences to any eligible bachelorette who missed out, but she is Happy to claim me as hers. :) And frankly I couldn't be happier. More pics to follow but this should do for the interim.

New Pics

2008-07-31T12:29:00.003-06:00

There are new pictures on the Daddy and Kayla picture archive. here is an example.

My Princess Charming

2008-07-31T12:12:00.003-06:00

Blog-o-sphere this is Heather. Heather the Blog-o-sphere. We are very happy together and find great delight in playing with our children (She has 2, me 1) Parker, Makayla, and Shelbie, as well as spending alone time together. So refreshing to be with someone who so accurately completes me. (Yes it was Cheesy but also true)

A Tale of Two Spaces

2008-07-31T11:22:00.004-06:00

So a few days ago I set aside time to clean my apartment up a bit. I am living alone for the time being so I can't possibly blame the mess on anyone else, except perhaps my daughter, but it is my job as daddy to clean up after her at this age. So I set out to clean the front room. you can see the results here.

So as you can see to the general public my apartment is a pretty clean place. Granted as always the dishes need to be done (but that is an on going problem not likely to be solved during bachelorhood) So I realized recently as I was brushing my teeth that my bedroom could use a similar level of love.

So perhaps over the next day or two I can get the dishes done and my bedroom cleaned. Being that over the last couple days I have cut my commute down from mattress to Office chair to just rolling over to pull the laptop into bed with me, perhaps I should expend a bit of the time from my saved commute in cleaning the "Office". But, Please! One thing at a time!

iPhone blogging

2008-07-27T23:38:00.001-06:00

So I am trying to blog from my iPhone. I will have to see how this is works. It would be really great to be able to update while on the go.

Allergies Stink

2008-07-16T16:42:00.003-06:00

So I have never really had any allergies in my life. I have dealt occasionally with a rather runny nose when the pollen count was very high, but never have I had something that I would attribute to an allergy. That all changed here a couple weeks ago when I had to forgo what was to be an exceptional climbing outing because my face looked like this. Not at all what I would consider a cool experience and very low on my "Boy I wanna do that again" list. Yes I look like Hitch from the movie when he found he had a food allergy, but the benefit he had (Eva Mendez to look after him) was what some might consider a positive externality. I on the other hand got to take Benadryl and rest up, while making jokes about "you should see the other guy". In the end I still don't know what caused it but I can hope Eva Mendez shows up on my doorstep to care for me. :)

The bane of my existence revisited

2008-07-03T10:13:00.003-06:00

So after leaving AT&T I have done something that some of you may find funny. I am now an iPhone user. Yes that is correct. The very bane of my existence is in fact helping me to carry on my existence now. There are a few reasons for this. First and foremost the phone is pretty freaking cool. Granted it does leave a bit to be desired with its functionality as compared with the Blackberry's, but all in all it may well stand up to the title of "My Favorite Consumer Device" that my buddy Wade Eyerly dubbed it with a few months back, as he chastised me for sticking with my berry. The second reason is flexibility. Because of the way that AT&T treats the original iPhone I can upgrade to a new phone anytime I like. So when the new Blackberry Bold or iPhone 3G launch later this Summer (next week for the iPhone 3G) I can move into one of those and still get the upgrade price. And of course the best part is that I can expense it to the company :) Wait did I tell you that I love my job??

I have the coolest job ever.

2008-06-28T18:43:00.002-06:00

So after I got home (and frankly a bit during my trip) I realized that I have quite possibly the coolest job ever. I get to sell a great product where I actually get to have some input on how its developed to make it better, and I get paid handsomely to sell it from the comfort of my own home. That's right I get to work in my PJ's each and every day if I so desire. I am really excited to get going and beating up my quarterly quota. Nothing like a spiff of 3K to the store of my choosing for being top sales this quarter to get the blood flowing. :) oh and that part about not ever having to work a weekend or Holiday again sure is nice :)

I Hate Texas...

2008-06-28T18:25:00.002-06:00

So for my new job I had the opportunity to spend a few days in Austin Texas. I had never been to Austin so i was excited for the opportunity to see a new place as I got my feet wet with my new job. The problem is as we were landing at the Austin Airport I looked out the window and remembered that I HATE Texas. I think this hate springs from those two fateful summers I spent in San Antonio with the Air Force. Looking out the window I could see... flat. lots and lots of flat. I missed the mountains, that add majestic beauty to where I now call home. Getting off the plain I felt heat and humidity. Heat really isn't that bad for example today in Utah it was in the mid 90's, but add to the mix a sticky variety of 90% humidity and you have a recipe for suffering.
You see I love to ski and I recall my dad saying something to the effect of "if God had wanted Texans to ski he would have made the Bull$h!t white." Not sure I can argue with this. Now that being sad my mother was born a Texan and still claims that heritage and I love her very much. Many Texans have this over inflated sense that their hometown is the only one on the planet that really has any significance in the world. This arrogance is similar to Californians who can't find anything good to say about any locale not located in the state that is do to break off and slide into the Pacific the next time a good quake rocks the San Andreas fault. I digress...
Home on the range sounds like a terrible bore. give me a home slope side with ski-in ski-out access and then we can talk about living the good life. One of the few things that Texans do up to the level of their ego is Texas BBQ. I cannot deny that this is really good stuff. For dinner we ate one night in a spot that the brisket melted in your mouth and the pork fell off the ribs in a mouthwatering symphony of really good eating. And in classic Texas style the place was called something like Bubba's. The food really was pretty good but after 3 days of Mexican and BBQ my gut was ready to digest something other than beef and guacamole.

The End of an Era

2008-06-21T13:44:00.002-06:00

So today is my last day in the wireless industry. I have been doing this same sort of job now for nearly 5 years, but today I leave it all behind. It is a bit surreal to be honest. The industry has been good to me. I got the last year at BYU paid for courtesy of AT&T, I took a once in a lifetime trip to Cancun for 5 days on Sprint's dime. I have made great friends both with customers and coworkers, and I have met some people that I could probably do without ever meeting again. I have made good money and on the whole I have enjoyed what I have been doing. Life has been hard through the past 5 years. I changed majors in school and went through a divorce. Some of my life's hardest days corresponded with time periods during the past 5 years.
today things are looking up. I have graduated from BYU, I landed a great new job in a growing industry, and I am dating a wonderful woman who looks to make me happy. Simply put I am doing great and and happy where things are headed.
As with all new endeavors I am a bit anxious to get started and settled. The new job has great earning potential for me and I honestly think that I can excel and meet some financial goals ( Debt free by 32) which excites me.
Maybe it isn't so much the End as it is the opening of a new chapter of life. Whatever it is I am anxious to get moving with it.

T-3 Days... and other musings

2008-06-18T10:05:00.002-06:00

So my last day is fast approaching here at AT&T. I am excited to get started on the new job. I have purchased my plane ticket to Austin, TX so that I can attend some meetings. I ordered a Vonage phone line so that I will have an office phone. It even has a cool phone number ending in 0999. Once I am up and running I will get an eFax line that will make my virtual office complete. Last night I even cleaned my office so that it is ready to begin work. I am told that a laptop is forthcoming with which to do my work, so with that and my desktop I will be set. I am interested to see what sort of laptop I am set up with. Alfresco is an open source software company so this screems "Anti-Windows" And my new boss's boss is a self proclaimed apple fan-boy so I might just be looking at a macbook, which I would be ok with cuz they are pretty cool machines. I have to choose what phone I would like. The company kicks in something like $200 towards its purchase. I think I will go with a Curve like I have now for the time being. However I am hopeful that the Blackberry Bold will come out soon so that I can move into that.
Last night I had dinner with a friend of mine. We went to Noodles and Co. and sat on the patio to enjoy the really great evening temperatures. We sat there for almost 3 hours shooting the breeze and talking about some of the finer points of life. I realized at one point that with my new employment I could make this sort of relaxing evening a ritual. No longer will I work until 9 pm. no longer will I work weekends or Holidays. everytime I think about this I get a grin spreading across my face. :) Time to enjoy life. When ski season rolls around I am not going to miss as many powder days. And the new job is going to allow me to pay off my debts at a rate that will let me reach my goal of being completely debt free by age 32. And I started dating a great girl. to put it simply... I am pleased with where life is headed.

Death Star Explodes

2008-06-16T18:33:00.004-06:00

So today I accepted a job offer from a new company. No i am not going to sell drugs like I thought I might orignally. While that field still does enthrall me I have accepted a job with a firm called Alfresco Software. No longer will I be palgued with customers who can't understand how they could have possibly gotten thier phone wet, or how they could have gone 1000 minutes over on thier plan. Goodbye to retail. Goodbye to working Holidays, or Saturdays, or BYU football game days. No longer do I have to pretend that I didn't really wanna go home to Seattle to see my family for Christmas. I am now an Enterprise software sales professional. The best part? I work from home! Thats right I can work in my pajamas if I so desire. so these pics are for you AT&T. Ever noticed how the AT&T logo smacks of the intergalactic menace that Luke and the boys took care of for us a while back??

Stone Temple Pilots

2008-06-16T18:19:00.006-06:00

Matt and I went and saw stone temple pilots last week. AWESOME SHOW!!! I highly recommend for any and all members of my fan-dom. I grew up with STP and remain a huge fan. here are a few pics from the show taken with my trusty Blackberry Curve.

The Bane of my Existence

2008-06-11T12:06:00.003-06:00

So on Monday, Satan (aka Steve Jobs), announced plans for the 3G iPhone at the Apple world wide developers conference. This was not a wholly unexpected announcement. What was a bit unexpected was the release date, July 11th. Now for those of you thinking

"Hey that's only
a month off"

let me help you understand how that month is going to play out. For the next 4 weeks I will field at a minimum 25 phone calls a day asking

"hey when does the new iPhone come out"

"is there a waiting list that I can get on for the new iPhone?"

or my personal favorite,

"So, tell me about this new iPhone."

Needless to say I am already fed up and it will just get worse.

One side effect of this new phone will be a dragging month of June. Our Sales numbers will flounder. And then iPhone will come out and it will all be roses again. but until then I will have to endure a really rotten sales month. Thus adding fuel to the "get me the heck out of here" fire. I still have yet to hear from Johnson & Johnson but I am hoping that very soon this will change.

Spring Cleaning

2008-06-06T14:05:00.003-06:00

So the other day I decided that it was bout d@mn time that I clean my room. After toiling away and getting a few loads of luandry out of the way. I managed to learn a few things in the process; that I do in fact have a floor under all that junk, that dust isn't actually a color for furniture, and that carpet feels better underfoot than an assorted mix of denim and synthetic fiber textiles. So after some dusting and a healthy dose of Pledge and Fabreeze my room is all nice and clean. A room that I am much more anxuious to show off than when it resembled a toxic waste dump mixed with a nuclear disaster site.
It is amazing how much better I feel with a clean room. Matt and I really do have a nice place. it was noted on my birthday how much better it all looks with the living room clean. I really enjoy entertaining when the house is clean. There are a few odds and ends that have never quite made it out the storage area... but on the whole its all very nice.

Tagged

2008-06-04T15:38:00.003-06:00

My sister-in-law Katie tagged me... so here goes!

3 joys: My Daughter. she is daddy's girl. A good powder day. Waste deep and ultra light. Spending time with friends around.

3 fears: Being alone for the rest of my life. Not achieving my highest potential. And Missing a great powder day :)

3 goals: Out of debt entirely by 32. Find my best friend and put a ring on her finger. Get a job that lets me have my weekends again.

3 current obsession/projects: Getting back country ski gear, Pay off the car, My dating life is always a project currently the finding pool is depleted.

3 random facts: I can text with either hand, I am now the owner of 4 pairs of skis, I still have yet to see a national park in Utah. (sad I know)

Lets see I tag Kody, Kate and Matt

Another day another year

2008-06-02T09:37:00.003-06:00

So yesterday was my birthday. I DID NOT in fact go skiing. I woke up in the morning and just was feeling particularly lazy so I slept a bit more and then went to church. For my birthday my parents announced that they are getting me the very skis that top my personal wish list (shown above). Dad ski races with a few guys who work for K2 so they're going to hook me up :) All in all it was a good birthday. We have more cake left over than I even wanna think about. All in all it was a sucessful birthday. I still can't believe I'm 29...

My Homeboy

2008-05-30T09:53:00.003-06:00

So over at the Ski Utah website they are selling T-shirts with a Yeti on them. This is quite possibly the awesomest looking Yeti that I have ever seen. With his skis strapped to his back complete with avalanche gear I wanna meet this abominable skiing snowman. I think we'd be homeboys. We could rip the steeps all over the Wasatch, and hike for powder on an epic day. Or maybe he and I could finally make the ascent of Timp and ski the front face. hey maybe he can come be a heathen with me this Sunday as I take a near once in a lifetime opportunity to ski on my birthday. At any rate he is obviously one cool hombre.

What to do...What to do...

2008-05-27T18:08:00.003-06:00

So my birthday is this week. I have even worked a minor miracle and managed to get a Saturday off in order to take the time to celebrate. The only trick is I am not sure HOW to celebrate. I am torn for what I actually want to do. I have considered being a heathen and skiing on my birthday(which happens to fall on a Sunday this year). But I am tempted simply because I have never been in a position to ski on my birthday. Real, honest to goodness, lift served skiing on the first of June. Snowbird is running that day and so I may very well go make some turns before putting the Recons away for the summer. I am trying to figure out what to do with my free Saturday. Last year I had a kegger party with some varied success. I was a little disappointed that people didn't stick around and party but alas it is what it is. The keg is probably out for this year but should make a triumphant return for "JR's XXX Birthday" next year (that's roman numeral 30). So this year is likely to be a bit more low key but I still want to have a good time. So perhaps riding some roller coasters at Lagoon will be the choice. The weather is supposed to cooperate with highs in the 80's.
Its funny I really don't feel any older. if anything I feel younger. but that 1979 in my birth date tells me otherwise. I get to be the same age as my mom this year. That oughtta make her happy. :)

Rain

2008-05-21T14:35:00.002-06:00

So being from Seattle I am not afraid of the rain. Many days I even welcome it. But this morning I caught myself in a moment of Utah wimpiness... I considered getting my zip-on hood for my Gore-tex jacket because of the downpour outside. I quickly shook myself out of the strange funk that had gripped me and put my head down like a good Seattleite and met the rain head on. The rains are due to continue to the weekend so it will be a respite from the sunny and mid 90's heat from the weekend. It is a double edged sword. The heat outside was nice but running the AC in my apartment is PRICEY!!! So the rain allows me to sleep more comfortably and keeps my wallet healthier. :)

the bottom line is I am so bored at work that I am blogging about the weather... yeah You said it I need a new job.

JR's Wishlist

2008-05-19T20:27:00.002-06:00

So my birthday is coming up. and I got to thinking. With my new found budget and my goal of being out of debt by the time I turn 32 I wont be spending tons on toys but I think it is still important for me to put away a little from each check for "mad money" spending. So I wanted to compile a list of stuff that I am wanting to purchase for myself. Some of its gear I need for backcountry skiing with my pops, some of it is stuff I just wanna get cuz... i want to. And as long as I do it with cash and not to the detriment of my more far reaching goal then I feel justified.
Here is the list:
1. K2 Shuksan Backcountry skis
2. A/T binding for said ski
3. Garmont Radium A/T Boots
4. A Mountian bike with which to enjoy the incredible terrain in Utah.
5. SigSauer P229 .40 Caliber
6. I'm sure the list will grow over time...

Mad skillz and dealin drugz

2008-05-14T20:21:00.003-06:00

So my cousin who works in pharmaceutical sales told me that I need to put together a "brag book" so that I can show off my mad skillz. This is a book that basically shows a potential employer why I'm so cool and they should therefore hire me. So I get to show off my serious nunchuck skillz ( with the Wii anyway), my bow staff skillz (a broom/mop handle works right?) and my Jedi Mind tricks (convincing my Calculus professor to give me a B when I had originally been scored a D has to be a Jedi mind trick.) The problem I have with the brag book is that I like others to realize that I kick some serious arse without having to show them. If I have to point it out its sorta like having to explain the punch line to a joke, it loses its effect. But the bottom line is this. JR is a pretty killer salesman and if you give him a job he might just be the best drug dealer you've ever hired.

The end of the internet

2008-05-13T15:09:00.002-06:00

It is quite frustrating when i am at work and I reach the end of the Internet. I got to that point again today just before deciding to blog about it. There is nothing worse than needing good quality online entertainment and be devoid of it. Granted out work firewalls block a few items that could supply endless hours of entertainment such as YouTube or any of the social networking sites but you would think that in the vastness of the World Wide Web that I could find something that would entertain me as I look outside the window and see near 70 degrees and partly cloudy skies. My typical list of things to do runs something like this. Check on the Mariners(yes this is terribly painful of late), next is BYU football, followed by anything new in the Wireless world, followed by checking on the most addictive site on the Internet SteepAndCheap.com. At this point I run out. I have read most of the relevant news for the day by virtue of being on the Seattle Times web page or one of the rags in Salt Lake. So i ask. WHAT ELSE CAN I READ and not get fired, thrown in Jail, or disowned by my loving parents?

Total Money Makeover

2008-05-10T11:16:00.003-06:00

So for graduation my parents got me a book. The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. Ramsey is a guy who has a radio talk show and gives financial advice. He has been through the wringer having gone bankrupt in his late 20's and then risen back to millionare status by helping other people not make those mistakes that he did. Pretty noble. I enjoyed the book a great deal and realized that I need to make a few changes in order to be financially healthy. The motto of the book is "Live like no on else so later you can LIVE like no one else." My parents have become Ramsey converts. After reading the book I too have decided that following his "baby steps" will help me to better financial health. The first step? Establishing a $1000 emergency fund. I am half way there after selling a few toys that would get better use from a new owner. Once my emergency fund is in place then I will start tackling the debt that I have racked up. my goal is to not turn 31 with any debt. Now this is a Huge goal considering when I say no debt I mean no student loans no NADA. I feel like this will set me up so that by the time I am 35 I will be financially secure and able to do anything that I like. I think these are realistic but definately streching goals. But how sweet will it be when I am financially free to do as I please. :)

Great Picture

2008-05-06T19:00:00.001-06:00

Creative Juices... & mixed random thoughts

2008-05-05T12:04:00.003-06:00

So the last few days I have been trying to feel creative and to come up with a blog post that would be fun... yet I have been woefully inadequate. I simply cant get a good feel of the creative flow. I am not entirely sure why.
My birthday is upcoming. 4 weeks from yesterday. I can t believe I am going to be 29, and 2 days later Makayla turns 5. I am not old enough to have a 5 year old. That reminds me it is time to get pictures taken with she and I again. I will need to call my friend John Tahero so he can shoot those for us. Pictures are fun to take with Kayla and always come out good. They have become my annual birthday gift to myself since the divorce.
I have been contacted by a few head hunters looking for sales people. I will see what happens but I am not convinced that I want anything they are offering. i dont want to take a pay rate cut. I cant afford to. So basically I want everything I now have AND something better. yes yes I want my cake and I want to eat it too. But hey I'm worth it.

Time to read

2008-05-03T14:26:00.003-06:00

One really great side effect of not having to deal with school any longer is that I get to read books that I WANT to read. I have re-found my love for reading a good spy novel. Right now I am neck deep in "The Invisible" by Andrew Britton. I really enjoy the author. After I finish this one I will delve into a couple new ones. Perhaps a Grisham novel or my roommate has a new one that he is reading that I might steal. It is rather refreshing to be able to spend my free time as I see fit. This coming week I plan on spending some time in the gym in a renewed effort to get back on my LGN (Look Good Naked) diet. and maybe just maybe I can gain those extra 10 pounds that I have been after for the past year plus. :) And, no, I'm sorry... I have tried but I cannot take anyones' extra 10 pounds that they are trying to lose... sadly it just doesnt work this way.

The Job Hunt

2008-05-02T14:50:00.002-06:00

So now that I have graduated, and am moving on in life, it is time to find a new job. I have worked in the cell phone arena for quite some time now but I am getting a little burnt out. I have been in contact with some friends who are in the pharmaceutical sales arena and I am hoping to get some interviews and move away from wireless. It is refreshing to not have school to worry about anymore yet I find myslef with much more free time than i am accustomed to. But I still have yet to get any more sleep. Go figure.
I went and saw Ironman last night. GO SEE IT!!! Fantastic movie. I was thouroughly impressed. I am sure I will see it again. As a consequence of seeing it the movie got out at about 1:30 am. so needless to say my butt was draggin this morning when I had to open the store at 8:30 am. Whenever I get a brilliant idea like a late movie my body makes sure to remind me that I am a lot closer to 30 than 20 or 25.
As if I needed further reminder tonight is daddy night. I am really excited to spend some QT with Makayla. Rest assured that by the end of the night I am going to be ready to crash.